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UDF, Congress plan protest campaigns

Special Correspondent

Stir against ‘failure’ of LDF government to utilise Central assistance

Thiruvananthapuram: The United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Congress are bracing for the coming Lok Sabha elections by announcing separate protest campaigns against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule in the State. While the Congress on Saturday firmed up its Collectorate and Secretariat siege proposed on January 20 on a five-point agenda, the UDF announced a Secretariat dharna of coalition MLAs against the failure of the LDF government to utilise the massive Central assistance given to the State.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday soon after a UDF high-power committee meeting, front convener P.P. Thankachan said the coalition had convened its general body meeting, comprising district conveners and presidents and other senior leaders, on January 19 to discuss the finer details of the Secretariat dharna and chart out more grassroots programmes in the run-up to the elections.

He said that Rs.3.642-crore Central assistance had lapsed owing to the State government’s negligence. Among them were a Rs.853-crore package for cooperatives under the Vaidyanathan Commission recommendations and a Rs.1,000-crore assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. The State government had failed to submit a scheme under the Kuttanad package in accordance with Central norms. He said the UDF took strong exception to the LDF’s recent anti-Centre stir without even bothering to utilise the Central assistance for the State.

The UDF alleged that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had indulged in horse trading in the Shoranur municipal council and the delay in swearing in councillors elected in recent by-elections was intended to favour this.

The Opposition coalition would file complaints before the Chief Election Commission and the State Electoral Officer against large-scale deletion of voters from the electoral rolls without observing mandatory norms. Mr. Thankachan said the CPI(M) was using its political clout to delete a large number of voters from the electoral rolls.

In reply to a question on Mr. Karunakaran’s charge about the UDF’s effectiveness in the Opposition, Mr. Thankachan maintained that the UDF was functioning smoothly as could be seen from the numerous political programmes it had undertaken in its own way, keeping the issues affecting the people in focus. Moreover, the results in various panchayat byelections went in favour of the UDF attesting to its effectiveness.

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